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Originally posted by ghost
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Ok, I heard that woman was the COO. Maybe she's the smart one to not be in the vicinity of the Spani...
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The rumor is due to Harbaugh not signing his 2026 extension, and many attached that to the vacancies in with the Lions, Chargers, Jets and Jags. I doubt he would be interested in Houston or Atlanta. I do hope they at least talk to him on his interest, but won't be surprised he just stays in Michigan.Originally posted by electricgold View PostComment
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Harbaugh brings too much conflict for me.Now, if you excuse me, I have some Charger memories to suppress.
The Wasted Decade is done.
Build Back Better.Comment
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I wouldn't be surprised either, but by not signing that says he's interested in something that isn't college. Doubt it's the Jets. He did play here. We could be what he wants to check out.Originally posted by Bolt-O View PostComment
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We probably won't hear about any college/retired in the first round of interviews. If they get on a plane and are seen in LA that's different.Originally posted by electricgold View PostComment
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This article provides a nice breakdown of what to look for in a head coach. Let me know what you think especially you like54ninjas lol. Disagreements are welcomed!
Dear NFL owners, here are 10 guidelines to follow when looking for a new coach
By Sheil Kapadia Jan 4, 2021
180 
As of this writing, five teams — the Jaguars, Jets, Texans, Lions and Falcons — have head coach openings.
So what should owners be looking for when they hire new head coaches? What qualities should they prioritize? What pitfalls should they avoid? The search firm of Kapadia, Kapadia & Kapadia tried to answer those questions last year. But with every season comes new information and new lessons that can be useful for the future. So here’s version 2.0 of guidelines to follow when looking for a new head coach.
1. Prioritize leadership skills above all else
Even for the league’s best coaches, things are eventually going to go bad. Andy Reid went 12-20 in his last two years with the Eagles. Bill Belichick was fired by the Browns. Pete Carroll was fired by the Jets and the Patriots. Mike Tomlin’s Steelers teams have won one playoff game in the last three years. John Harbaugh had a three-year stretch from 2015 to 2017 where the Ravens went 22-26. The point is that it’s really hard to win consistently. Adversity is going to strike. Doubt is going to creep in. When that happens, will everyone in the organization — players, assistants, the personnel staff — believe in the head coach to right the ship? Or will the adversity lead to finger-pointing, leaks and squabbles that cause the entire operation to crumble? That might be the most important question to answer when searching for a head coach.
2. Value flexibility and a willingness to adjust
This applies to a number of different areas. One is with overall team philosophy. Belichick made his name as the Giants’ defensive coordinator in the ’80s. But it’s been offense that has carried the Patriots during his run there. It may surprise some to learn that New England has finished outside the top 10 in defensive efficiency 12 times in the last 13 years. Belichick has never been focused on being a defense-first team. If that were his philosophy, the Patriots wouldn’t have had the same success. He was focused on giving his team the best chance to win, given the talent at his disposal.
The coach who has an innovative scheme today will likely be the coach who gets “figured out” in a couple years. Sean McVay was hailed as an offensive genius after the 2018 season. His offense ranks 21st in Expected Points Added (EPA) per snap this season, according to TruMedia’s model. The Rams’ offense was 17th last season. It’s not enough to be impressed with what a coach is doing in terms of X’s and O’s right now. You need to know if he has a plan B. Has he been exposed to different schemes and philosophies? If not, is he open to listening to assistants who might have more expertise in certain areas? These are important questions.
Organizationally, you want a coach who is willing to adjust his philosophy based on the team he has. There might be a brilliant offensive coach whose personnel gets decimated by injuries. Is he going to adjust like Sean Payton has done over the last two years with Drew Brees? Or is he going to keep coaching the same way he usually does? The same applies to defensive-minded head coaches who are blessed with a great quarterback.
Flexibility will go a long way in determining success over an extended period of time.
3. Find someone who emphasizes relationship-building with players
The coach-player relationship in professional sports has changed. There are always exceptions, but for the most part players want coaches who can help them be their best. At the NFL level, it’s not about being a strict disciplinarian or teaching life lessons or being a father figure.
There is great value in building a culture where players enjoy coming to work every day. The opposite would be when they toast with mimosas to celebrate not having to see their head coach for a few months.
Some might refer to this as emotional intelligence, and there are different ways to achieve it. For certain coaches, it just comes naturally. Others might need to lean on leadership councils so that players know they have a voice. The bottom line is that when things go bad — and again, they will go bad — the players’ commitment to having their coaches’ back can go a long way. And that happens when players know that the coach is invested in them. Said more simply: Being a good boss matters. Authenticity does too.
4. Lean toward an offensive coach
Please take note of the word lean. This is merely a suggestion to make life easier, not a deal-breaker. There are plenty of examples of defensive coaches or CEO-type coaches having success.
But the main reason why an offensive coach can offer an edge is obvious. League rules have shifted toward making scoring easier, and the best way to achieve sustained success year after year is to build an efficient offense. Last year, all four teams that played in the AFC and NFC title games finished in the top eight in offensive efficiency. The year before, they all finished in the top five. This year, the top seeds in each conference, the Packers and Chiefs, rank first and second in offensive efficiency. This is just the way the league is trending. Offense is sticky year to year — specifically when teams retain the same play-caller and quarterback. Defense can be more volatile.
It’s possible that a team can find success by hiring a defensive-minded head coach or a CEO-type like Harbaugh. But there are going to be challenges when the head coach is not the offensive play-caller. One is that the defensive-minded head coach might be more conservative and want to win a certain way. That can limit a team’s ability to reach its maximum potential. But the bigger issue is that if the offensive coordinator is really good, he’s probably going to get a head-coaching opportunity before long. We could see that this offseason with guys like Arthur Smith or Brian Daboll. We’ve seen it in the past with Kyle Shanahan leaving Atlanta for San Francisco. The Falcons were never the same after that.
There are ways around this challenge. One would be to always be thinking ahead with the next play-caller and trying to build an internal pipeline. But that’s obviously more difficult than just having the head coach be the offensive play-caller.
5. Move on from coaches who are obsessed with “flipping the field” or “manageable third downs” during their interviews
The point of this one is you want someone who’s going to be aggressive and isn’t risk-averse — you don’t need to send me examples of great coaches using these phrases. You want someone who believes in relentlessly attacking the opponent and believes in trying to score points in pretty much any situation.
Stay away from coaches who are content running a coward’s draw on third-and-15, punting and waiting for the next possession. Eliminate anyone who utters the phrase “take the points” in explaining why a field goal is preferred to going for it on fourth down from the opponents’ 2-yard line. And immediately end the interview if a coach says he’ll opt for kneel-downs with 1:08 left in the first half because he wants to “preserve momentum” going into the third quarter.
Head coaches don’t need to be data-obsessed or analytics experts, but …
6. Find someone who is open-minded, not just someone who says he’s open-minded
This one probably sounds vague but applies to a number of important areas. Coaches don’t need to fully understand EPA and win probabilities. But are they willing to learn from the data to see how it can increase their chances of winning? Or do they think the answer is always just listening to their gut?
What’s their approach for dealing with players who might have “difficult” personalities? Are they willing to explore different avenues to make those relationships work? Or are they going to roll with a “my way or the highway” approach? Chemistry is important, but so is talent. These dynamics are among the most challenging aspects of the job.
The truth is every candidate will likely say he’s open-minded. But look for examples in the candidate’s background that show he’s actually open-minded because this is really important.
7. Cast a wide net and interview a lot of people
The well-run organizations are not going to be looking for new head coaches every two to three years. You want to be considered a well-run organization, so you should take advantage of the process. Candidates are going to bring their best ideas to the table. There is value in hearing those ideas. You may interview a candidate who doesn’t impress you, but maybe he mentions one idea that your organization can steal. Maybe a candidate isn’t a great fit for a head-coaching job right now. But maybe he’d be great in a coordinator role or in the personnel department.
What is your organization’s track record with diversity? This is a great opportunity to talk to candidates from different backgrounds. Maybe someone will surprise you. The process should not be simply viewed through the lens of finding the best head coach right now. That’s the top priority, but you can gain valuable feedback and intel on a wide range of topics that can help your organization.
8. Get a clear picture of how they’re going to fill out their staff
This is among the most important aspects of the job. Head coaches can’t do it all themselves. They need to be comfortable delegating responsibilities, and there is great value in collaboration. Will the candidate embrace the advantages of hiring a diverse staff like Bruce Arians? Will he be committed to hiring the best people? Or will he lean on assistants with whom he’s coached before or family members or people who share the same agent?
It’s fine for ownership to make recommendations, but ultimately the head coach should be in charge of his staff. He’s the one who’s going to be working long hours with them, and he needs to be able to trust them. Ownership telling a head coach who to hire is a recipe for disaster and a terrible way to kick off a new regime. There is obviously a balance here. I’m not claiming there’s one right way to do it, and chemistry is important. But having a smart plan to fill out a staff and a commitment to hiring the best people is critical.
It’s also important to know what the head coach’s plan is for developing lower-level assistants to help with promoting internally down the line. This can lead to a culture where assistants want to stay because they know there’s room to learn and grow within the organization.
9. Don’t hire a coach just because of his connection to someone great
We can call this the Belichick rule if you like. This may sound obvious, but just because someone has coached with Belichick or gets his recommendation doesn’t actually mean that he is going to be as good as Belichick. I know, it’s crazy.
To be clear, it’s perfectly reasonable and smart to look at who candidates have worked with and where they draw their influences from. But that should be part of the process, not the foundation of the process. Assistants get hired for a number of reasons — timing, luck, politics, familiarity. The worst type of head coach is the guy who thinks he’s Belichick and operates like Belichick without any of Belichick’s credentials.
10. Make sure there is a clear understanding of the coach/GM dynamic
Sometimes the GM is already in place and picks the coach. Sometimes the coach gets hired and picks the GM. Sometimes it’s the same person doing both jobs. But whatever the case, there needs to be a clear understanding of responsibility and structure with an emphasis on collaboration. The coach and GM should see themselves as being connected at the hip. If one of them succeeds, they both succeed. If one of them fails, they both fail. Infighting and backstabbing is common in NFL organizations. There are a lot of prideful people who think they have the right answers and view those who disagree as obstacles in their way.
At some point, the head coach and the GM are going to disagree on a big decision. There should be a clear understanding of who makes the final call. And once the call is made, the focus has to be on how to best move forward. That type of dynamic is best achieved when the owner makes it clear that the job security and goals of both parties are connected in every way.Comment
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There's a lot of influential people behind the head coaching search carousel. Maybe for this search, we should avoid asking Ron Wolf again. He seems to be 0-2 for Charger hires lol.
When the Chargers were looking for a new head coach after the 2016 NFL season, the team reached out to ex-Packers GM Ron Wolf for help. Wolf mentioned how impressed he was with Bills interim head coach Anthony Lynn, who interviewed for the Jets’ head coaching job back in 2015. Weeks later, the Spanos family and GM Tom Telesco interviewed Lynn and had a similar experience, eventually hiring him.
For the crosstown Rams, who were also searching for a new head coach after 2016, they asked agents which coordinators their players would follow, and they reached out to network broadcast crews asking which assistants owned the room during production meetings. Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay’s name kept popping up, and at season’s end, they moved quickly. McVay’s interview confirmed all they’d heard, and he was their head coach inside of two weeks.Comment
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Remember, John Spanos went against Ron Wolf's recommendation of Bruce Arians and hired Anthony Lynn.Originally posted by Xenos View Post
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Based on that article Lynn would have been physically removed about 10 min into the interview.Originally posted by Xenos View PostComment
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